Microtome



D. DANON MICROTOME June 29, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 29, 1962Ha. I

INVENTOR. 0/1 1 /0 D/I/VO/V June 29, 1965 D. DANON MICROTOME 2Sheets-Sheet 2- Filed June 29, 1962 FIG.3

INVENTOR. D4 V/O Oil/V0 Kw h,

United States. Patent It is an object of the present invention toprovide an improved microtome. It is a further object of the presentinvention to provide an improved microtome by means of which it ispossible to effect any predetermined .unit of advance of the specimen,within predetermined limits. It is still a further object of the presentinvention to provide a novel microtome with which any unit of advancebetween 0 to about 3000 A. is possible, wherein the specimen cuttingoperation is not efiected .during the advance of the specimen and whichis entirely mechanical in its operation. Other and further objects ofthe present invention will become apparent hereinafter. The inventionconsists in a microtome comprising a system of two levers, one of whichis adapted to be raised in units of 1 micron by means of a gear systemincluding a micrometric screw, the second lever being adapted to beraised by first lever through the intermediary of a pin arranged at adistance from its fulcrum, the second lever carrying a rotatable drumnear said fulcrum, on which drum the specimen is mounted, the rotationof the drum being adapted to move the specimen past a cutting knife andto actuate the system for raising said first lever.

The invention is illustrated, by way of example only, in theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation, partly in section of the microtome accordingto the invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view thereof;

FIG. 3. is a front elevation partly in section thereof;

FIG. 4 is a partial section taken on line IV-1V of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a section taken on line VV of FIG. 4.

A base 1 supported at three points, i.e., two integral legs 2 at itsfront and one similar leg 2 at the median line near the back is providedwith integral left and right side walls 3, 4, respectively and back wall5. A shaft 6 extends between walls 3, 4 near their bottom and isjourinalled in bearings mounted therein. To the shaft 6 is fixedaratchet wheel 9 which is turned by a detent 10 in a manner to behereinafter described. To the center of shaft 6 a worm 11 is keyed whichis in mesh with a worm wheel 12 mounted on a vertically extending shaft13 turnably supported on its bottom end on a steel ball 14 lodged in asuitable depression of base 1. The shaft 13 is threaded with amicrometric screw thread whose pitch is equal to 1 millimeter and whichis turnably held in a nut 15 having a similar internal thread, the nutbeing housed for verticalbut non-turnable movement between two uprightguides 16 integral with and projecting from the side wall 3. For everyrotary advance of one tooth of ratchet wheel 9 Worm 11 and Worm wheel 12cause shaft 13 to make such a turn that nut 15 is raised by micron. Anupwardly extending angle bracket 17 is integral with nut 15 and supportswith its horizontal upper leg a ball 18 on which rests the truncatedapex of a lever 19 made of glass or of metal covered with glass, havingthe shape of a substantially isosceles triangle, the other two cornersbeing supported on balls 20, 21 lodged on the top of the rear wall 5 ina manner to be described hereinafter, the balls constituting the fulcrumof the lever. The distance between ball 18 and the line joining balls20, 21 has a predetermined integral dimension. A second lever 22constituted by a substantially rectangular plate plies to supports 20,21. tween two registering conical bores 42 in side 24 and 3,191,4Tl?atented JuraeZfi, 1955 ice has a cut-out 23 at its front end, the twosides 24 bordering said cut-out being supported on the tops of the frontend of walls 3, 4 by means of balls 25, 26, respectively, in a manner tobe hereinafter described, the balls 25, 26 constituting the fulcrum oflever 22. The other support for lever 22 comprises a pin 27 slidable inan elongated slot 28 in the median line of lever 22 and having anenlarged pointed bottom end 29 which rests on lever 19, the top end ofpin 27 being threaded for engagement with a nut 30 by which pin 27 canbe fixed in any position along the slot 28 and thus along the distancebetween the ball 18 and balls 20, 21.

In the top faces of sides 24, substantially V-shaped depressions 31 areprovided in which the shaft 32 carry- (i.e., the left one as seen inFIG. 3) has an eccentric undercut on which sits the annular upper end10' of detent 10 being held on the undercut by an eccentric retainingmember 38 fixed to the drum. The bottom part of the detent 10 isbifurcated into a shorter and a longer prong 10a and 10b, respectively,the longer prong 10a being adapted to engage the ratchet wheel 9. Themovement of the detent 10 is governed by a lever 39 fixed with one endto the side wall 3 and having a lug 39' projecting from its other endand extending into the slot between the prongs 10a and 16b. It can beseen with the position of lever 39 as shown in FIG. 1, that with eachrevolution of the shaft 32 the detent moves ratchet 9 counterclockwiseby one tooth, which causes, as has been described hereinbefore, nut 15and thus bracket 17 and ball 18 to be raised in units of 1 micron,whereby the proximal point of lever 19 is similarly raised. The positionof lever 39 may be changed, e.g., so that lug 39' lies against theoutside of prong 10a, to cause prong 10a to move ratchet 9 by two teethfor each revolution of lever 19 on balls 20, 21 is effected in a mannerso as to allow their exact disposition even with a slight intolerance inthe measurements of the support points of the levers. This constructionis shown in FIG. 4 with respect to supports 25, 26, but the sameconstruction ap- The ball 25 is lodged beside wall 3, respectively,.while the ball 26 is lodged between a conical bore in the other side 24and a transverse groove of triangular cross-section in the side wall 4.

The position of the specimen holder 34 and that of the detent 10 on thedrum is fixed in such a manner that only after the specimen holder 34upon the rotation of the drum has passed the knife 40 to effect a cut ofthe specimen mounted on the holder, will the detent 1t) effect therotation of the ratchet 9 to raise lever 19 around its fulcrum 2t), 21to position the axis of shaft 32 for the following cut. Depending on theposition of pin 27 between points 18 and 20, 21, and of the distance ofthe pin from supports 25, 26 the raisa ing of the lever 19 by 1 micronis reduced accordingly, whereby the axis of drum 33 around this fulcrumis angularly displaced correspondingly.

I claim:

1. A microtome comprising a first and second lever; a gear systemincluding a ratchet wheel, a micrometric screw threaded shaftoperatively driven by the ratchet Wheel, and a nut on said threadedshaft held against rotation on said micrometric screw, said nut havingan extension engaging said first lever for raising said lever as saidnut moves up said rotating screw, a pin operated by. said first leverand engaging said second lever to raise said second lever, a rotatabledrum carried by said second lever, a specimen carried by said rotatingdrum, a cutting knife, rotation of said drum moving said specimen pastsaid cutting knife, an eccentric member having a detent mounted on saiddrum to engage and operate said ratchet wheel once for each revolutionof said drnmQthe relative position of said specimen and said detent onsaid drum being such that upon rotation of said drum, the specimen movespast the cutting knife before the gear system is actuated by the detentfor the next cutting operation. 2. A microtorne comprising a first andsecond lever,

means for moving said first lever through micron units of distance; thesecond of said levers being adjustable and in operative relation withsaid first lever and movable thereby at a distance from the fulcrum ofsaid second lever for effecting a distance movement reduction, arotatable drum advanced by said Second lever adjacent said fulcrum and astationary cutting knife, said drum carrying a specimen past saidcutting knife, said drum advancing said specimen on each rotation towardsaid knife under control of said second lever, said means for movingsaid first lever being controlled by said drum for operating said firstlever following cutting of said specimen by said knife.

3. A microtorne comprising a first and second lever, means for movingsaid first lever through micron units of distance; the second leverbeing in operative relation with said first lever and movable thereby ata distance from the fulcrum of said second lever for effecting adistance movement reduction, a rotatable drum advanced by said secondlever adjacent said fulcrum and a stationary cutting knife, said drumcarrying a specimen past said cutting knife, said drum advancing saidspecimen on each rotation toward said knife under control of said secondlever, said moving means being controlled by said-drum for operatingsaid first lever following cutting of said specimen by said knife.

4. A microtorne comprising a first and a second lever, means for movingsaid first lever through micron units; said second lever in operativerelation with said first lever and movable thereby at a distance fromthe fulcrum of said second lever for effecting a distance re duction,arotatable drum journalled on V-bearings operated by said second leveradjacent said fulcrum and a stationary cutting knife, said drum carryinga specimen past said cutting knife, said drum advancing said specimen oneach rotation toward said knife under control of said second lever, saidmoving means being controlled by said drum for operating said firstlever following cutting of said specimen by said knife.

5. A microtorne comprising a first and a second lever, means for movingsaid first lever through micron units of distance; said second leverhaving a glass surface in operative relation with said second lever andmovable thereby at a distance from the fulcrum of said second lever foreffecting a distance reduction, a rotatable drum operated by said secondlever adjacent said fulcrum and a stationary cutting knife, said drumcarrying a specimen past said cutting knife, said drum advancing saidspecimen on each rotation toward said knife under control of said secondlever, said moving means being controlled by said drum for operatingsaid first lever following cutting of said specimen by said knife.

6. microtorne comprising a first lever, means for moving said firstlever through micron units of distance; a second lever in operativerelation with said first lever and movable thereby at a distance fromthe fulcrum of said second lever for effecting a distance reduction,means for adjusting one of said levers, a rotatable drum operated bysaid second lever adjacent said fulcrum and a stationary cutting knife,said drum carrying a specimen past said cutting knife, said drumadvancing said specimen on each rotation toward said knife under controlof said second lever, said moving means being controlled by said drumfor operating said first lever following cutting of said specimen bysaid knife.

i. A microtorne comprising a first and second lever, means for movingthe first lever through micron units of distance; the second lever beingin operative relation with said first lever and movable thereby at adistance from the fulcrum of said second lever for effecting a distancereduction, means for adjusting one of said levers, a rotatable drumoperated by said second lever adjacent said fulcrum, the shaft of saiddrum being journalled in V-shaped depressions, the drum having obliqueside walls contacting said depressions, and a stationary cutting knife,said drum carrying a specimen past said cutting knife, said drumadvancing said specimen on each rotation toward said knife under controlof said second lever, said moving means being controlled by said drumfor operating said first lever following cutting of said specimen bysaid knife.

8. A microtome comprising a first and second lever, means for moving thefirst lever through micron units of distance; the second lever being inoperative relation with said first lever and movable thereby at adistance from the fulcrum of said second lever for effecting a distancereduction, means for adjusting one of said levers, a rotatable drumoperated by said second lever adjacent said fulcrum and a stationarycutting knife,

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,642,774 6/53Picard 83-9155 ANDREW R. JUHASZ, Primary Examiner.

CARL W. TOMLIN, Examiner.

2/58 Blum 83-410

1. A MICROTOME COMPRISING A FIRST AND SECOND LEVER; A GEAR SYSTEM INCLUDING A RATCHET WHEEL, A MICROMETRIC SCREW THREADED SHAFT OPERATIVELY DRIVEN BY THE RATCHET WHEEL, AND A NUT ON SAID THREADED SHAFT HELD AGAINST ROTATION ON SAID MICROMETRIC SCREW, SAID NUT HAVING AN EXTENSION ENGAGING SAID FIRST LEVER FOR RAISING SAID LEVER AS SAID NUT MOVES UP SAID ROTATING SCREW, A PIN OPERATED BY SAID FIRST LEVER AND ENGAGING SAID SECOND LEVER TO RAISE SAID SECOND LEVER, A ROTATABLE DRUM CARRIED BY SAID SECOND LEVER, A SPECIMEN CARRIED BY SAID ROTATING DRUM, A CUTTING KNIFE, ROTATION OF SAID DRUM MOVING SAID SPECIMEN PAST SAID CUTTING KNIFE, AN ECCENTRIC MEMBER HAVING A DETENT MOUNTED ON SAID DRUM TO ENGAGE AND OPERATE SAID RATCHET WHEEL ONCE FOR EACH REVOLUTION OF SAID DRUM, THE RELATIVE POSITION OF SAID SPECIMENT AND SAID DETECT ON SAID DRUM BEING SUCH THAT UPON ROTATION OF SAID DRUM, THE SPECIMEN MOVES PAST THE CUTTING KNIFE BEFORE THE GEAR SYSTEM IS ACTUATED BY THE DETENT FOR THE NEXT CUTTING OPERATION. 